Happy Pongal everyone!! Hope you guys are busy preparing yummy goodies for the festival. First thing that comes to my mind when i think about Sankranthi are the Rangolis( muggulu ). Just after finishing our Half Early exams at school we get 10 holidays and those days were a great fun start in the new year. The very last day of our exams, we pack our luggage and head to grandma's house. I remember the house would be swamped with people( pinni, babai, atha, mama etc., ) uncles, aunts and cousins. During those ten days we make rangolis( muggulu) everyday, dress pretty and eat good homemade festive food. Grandma used to make a lot of yummy sweets and savouries, like Ariselu( Sweet rice cakes ), Bobbatlu( Sweet lentil Breads ), KajjiKayalu( Fried Sweet with jaggery and lentils ), Paalakayalu( Crispy spicy small rounds ), PappuBillalu( Crispy rice fritters ), Vada( crispy lentil fritters ), and of coursePongal along with special curries and rice dishes.

Here's a very well known protein packed festive savoury, Dal Vada with Spinach and Cilantro( Lentil Fritters With Spinach and Cilantro) PalakuraKothimeeraMinapaGarelu.

You need:

1 cup Urad Dal( Minappappu /Black Gram )

1 cup tightly packed chopped spinach

1 inch ginger root

Green chillies

Cilantro

Cumin seeds

Oil for frying

How to:

Soak Uraddal for about 4 hours in water

Once soaked grind the batter to a paste( need not be very smooth, and do not add too much water, just add enough to grind )

Drop into oil with a spoon or to make traditional vada( vadai ), use your palms this way. Take a small amount of batter in a ball shape, flatten lightly with fingers and drop it very gently into oil from the edges of the pan.

My ammamma makes them in a very perfect shape and she dips her hands into water before making each vadai, and this needs of course some experience. Don't panic if you cant get vadas perfectly, its hard for me too to get them in perfect shape and size.

Fry these vadas on both sides and drain on to paper napkins to remove any excess oil.